Rich Gaspari reacts to the Mr. Olympia sale and looks towards its future.
In February 2020, it was announced that the Mr. Olympia brand and weekend event was sold by AMI to Jake Wood, owner of the Wings Of Strength bodybuilding event series. It was a surprising shake up especially in the wake of The Rock’s Athleticon launching in October 2020 – just one month after the Olympia competition. Rich Gaspari has been involved in the bodybuilding world for multiple decades and eras. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Rich Gaspari shares his thoughts on the Olympia sale and whether it will be good or bad for the event.
Rich Gaspari has seen it all and watched the bodybuilding world shift, change, and evolve each generation. This includes the Mr. Olympia competition as it’s grown in size and scope and changed ownership over the years. With the announcement of AMI’s sale of the Mr. Olympia to Jake Wood – it would seem that potential changes are on the horizon for the biggest event in bodybuilding. So what does Rich Gaspari think of the change?
Rich seems to have a positive outlook of the future for Mr. Olympia. More specifically because he believes the Mr. Olympia has lost its luster over the years. This isn’t just an opinion specific to Rich alone. Many fans and athletes have often debated about wether or not the Olympia has waned in quality. The news of The Rock’s upcoming Athleticon didn’t help to calm matters down either. Could The Rock’s new bodybuilding competition and event slowly become the number one spectacle in the industry?
Rich Gaspari focuses on the origins of the Olympia and the origins of bodybuilding’s Golden Era. To him the Weiders were passionate about the sport in a way that AMI never could be – largely because AMI was a mega company that owned various other brands outside of the sport. That’s why Gaspari is excited about the new ownership. He’s not sure what exactly will change or what the future holds – but he’s excited for any kind of shake up to the norm.
Rich Gaspari’s opinion on this matter extends beyond the Olympia though. He believes that the sport as a whole has changed into something he’s less familiar with than in decades past. “Bodybuilding has lost its soul” Rich calmly states towards the end of the interview. If he’s right – the bigger question becomes: can bodybuilding get it back?
Watch the full GI Exclusive interview segment with Rich Gaspari above!
